Somerset Lifetimes 2019 Semester 2

Track

ALUMNI – A FEW

YEARS DOWN THE

as possible (to a reasonable standard), in order to get more time on the rugby field or basketball court to practice. My friendship group at school, many of which I still play basketball with today, had a lot of great moments playing team sport at Somerset over the years. Fraser Ramsay, Chris “Milky” Handley, Justin Karch, James Fitzgerald, and Christian Radford, to name a few. I was completely hooked by the idea of building and being part of teams with chemistry, culture, and mateship around common values. After completing Year 12, I worked part time for my family’s construction business, Condev, while studying construction management. The construction industry was enjoyable, but wasn’t quite hitting home for me. Condev is the most amazing working environment, with the most incredible people, and is the dream workplace for almost anyone, but in my heart, I knew there was more out there for me. Along came Somerset College’s basketball programme, with a new basketball court built by Condev - the stars aligned. I started coaching basketball at Somerset College almost immediately, and remember shooting the first hoop in their brand new basketball court. I was home. I moved away from the construction industry, and worked relentlessly to educate myself in every way possible to become the best basketball coach I could be. I knew something would eventuate somewhere due to my passion and drive. Today, I have the privilege of working closely with 150+ students in the Somerset Basketball programme, and love every moment. We have over 20 club basketball teams, numerous coaches, and focus on building chemistry, culture, and mateship around common values - which, in turn, breeds dedication and creates quality team-play on the basketball court. How do you spend a working day? My typical working day as Basketball Coach at Somerset College includes waking up nice and early, taking the dogs for a walk and grabbing a coffee with my fiancé, Tori, before heading to Somerset for basketball training at 7.00am. Once the students head to class, I usually grab some breaky or do some work on my laptop and plan for the days and weeks ahead with whatever competitions, training programmes, tournaments, development sessions, etc. are on the horizon. Somerset Basketball plays in the Gold Coast’s top club basketball competition, and everyone involved is very committed to improving their game and working hard to be successful. Almost every afternoon there are team training sessions, skills sessions, and club games on, so I try to get around to as many players, parents, and teams as possible, and make sure everyone is

Dean Charl Marais (Class of 2007) What are some of your fondest

memories of your time at Somerset? My fondest memories of Somerset College are playing team sport with friends, and spending many years growing and learning around some incredible people. My family emigrated from South Africa to Australia in 2001, and I started school at Somerset in Year 6 the same year. During my time as a Somerset student, I was very passionate about rugby, and also played a lot of basketball, cricket, and touch football representing the College. We had great success with several teams, and many of the valuable relationships I formed through team sport at Somerset still exist today. I had the pleasure of being mentored by many different coaches and teachers throughout high school, and this shaped my values and teaching methods as a basketball coach at Somerset today. How did Somerset shape your career path? My career path has been quite an interesting one. Let’s say my time at Somerset had more of a sports than academic focus. As a student, I would do anything to finish my studies as quickly

26 A Few Years Down the Track